The President’s Cake
Film details
| Film Title | The President’s Cake |
|---|---|
| Suitability | |
| Genre | |
| Length | 105mins |
| Year | 2025 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Director | Hasan Hadi |
| Actors | Banin Ahmad Nayef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Rahim AlHaj, Muthanna Malaghi, Ahmad Qasem Saywan, Thaer Salem, Fatima Abouharoon, Mohammed Rheimeh, Rokia Alwadi, Abdelkarim Jasim, Maytham Mreidi, Nadia Rashak, Ali Khalaf, Mahmoud Mazen Lazen |
| Language | Arabic |
| AKA | The President's Cake |
| Showings |
In 1990s Iraq, it’s ‘draw day’, when schools select students for the honour of bringing items to their mandatory local celebrations of President Saddam Hussein’s birthday. Nine-year-old Lamia lives in the historic marshes with her spirited grandmother, Bibi. Before school, Bibi teaches Lamia clever tricks to avoid being chosen for the baking duties. However, when Musa, the authoritative teacher, calls Lamia’s name for the most challenging task–the birthday cake–she has no choice but to accept. Refusing could mean imprisonment or even death.
While “The President’s Cake” mostly plays like a genial fairy tale, with superbly balanced humor and drama, Hadi is still unsparing about the ills of patriarchal society. It is a compassionate and winsome debut, packed with an unassuming punch.
★★★★
A case of relatively modest filmmaking that becomes rich because archetype and characterization coordinate the story world.
★★★★
